Interview with Sergent Ronnie Smith, Corporal Patrick Couture, and Captain Hercule Gosselin of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in which they describe their experiences as part of the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia. They describe how they feel that the schools they built, the infrastructure they developed and the people they saved are all being overlooked by Canadians due to media coverage of a few isolated incidents.

At the dawn of the Cold War, Somalia had aligned itself with the Soviet Union; when this alliance dissolved, the United States forged a coalition with the African country. As the Cold War thawed, however, the partnership weakened and the U.S. withdrew. As infrastructure and order collapsed, famine spread through the country. When the 900 Canadian soldiers landed in Somalia on December 15, 1992, they tried to draw order from the chaos with Operation Deliverance.

When the Black Hawk helicopters landed in Belet Huen, Somalia, the Canadian forces were greeted with welcoming cheers. The Canadian soldiers were surprised to find a relative level of calm in Belet Huen with famine under control and few deaths due to starvation. The Canadians were happy to have finally arrived in Somalia to provide humanitarian aid. However, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, US Marines had shot and killed a Somali during a peace march.

Canadian peacemakers were lauded as heroes when they went into an untamed land ruled by rebels. Their mission, Operation Deliverance, charged them with restoring order in Somalia. But in fact, the Canadian Airborne regiment was splitting apart at the seams, lacking both leadership and accountability. Includes radio and television interviews with key players, educational activities, and related links.